Local patriotism as a result of self-orientalist discourse in Türkiye

Western curiosity with the East led to Orientalism, an academic field. Classical orientalism recognizes elements from religion, literature, art, and architecture. Edward Said's 1978 book "Orientalism" has been studied across fields. The conversations were translated into several languages due to their popularity in Eastern and Western regions. The work led to a current examination of orientalism, which has both positive and negative aspects. Said wrote that the perception of the East by people in the West is characterized by viewing it as "other, backward, and exploiting its resources," rather than an attempt by individuals from various backgrounds to understand one another. Said also asserted that this process of othering is not only carried out by individuals from Western societies, but also by those from Eastern societies who embrace Western values, thereby assimilating themselves to Western norms and diminishing the distinctiveness of their own community. The concept of "self-orientalism" is prevalent in countries undergoing modernization. Self-orientalism, a concept that arose from Edward Said's influential work "Orientalism," refers to the process by which an individual from the Eastern culture internalizes Western principles and subsequently marginalizes their own civilization. This technique, originating in Far Eastern countries, is commonly observed in Türkiye and other Eastern countries. This study focused on analyzing the self-orientalist mindset in Türkiye, including both its positive and negative elements. Additionally, it explored the correlation between the notion of "Izmir" and Said's self-orientalism framework. The analysis has determined that the notion of "Izmir" advancing in a self-orientalist trajectory has confined the perception of patriotism in Türkiye. The political and social ramifications and drawbacks of this predicament have been exposed, and several proposed solutions have been put out for this issue. Keywords: Orientalism, Self-Orientalism, Patriotism, Local Patriotism